Chapter Eleven
Fire
Once the kiddie pool was filled with the right amount of salt and water, enough to allow a white egg to float right at the surface, the deprivation tank was ready. Joyce sat knelt on the side with Eleven, helping her gently place a pair of goggles over her face to cut off her sight. Ronnie slowly walked from the bleachers, her body still feeling a little heavy with fatigue, with Hopper walking beside her. His arm wrapped around her small shoulder to give her a sense of support as they walked across the dimly lit gymnasium. Everyone gathered around the pool quickly, a walkie set placed on a rolling cart, and turned to a static station.
"You sure you can do this, sweetheart?" Joyce spoke softly to Eleven, her voice in a soft and motherly tone.
Eleven nodded her head her gaze faced forward as the goggles blocked her sight. Joyce gently helped Eleven into the salt water-filled kiddie pool, and the moment she was set into the water, Eleven moved onto her back and began to float. Ronnie sat on her knees beside Joyce and reached over to grab the older woman's hand. Ronnie could feel the anxiety rolling through her body with a simple touch. The soft static from the radio causes a slightly ominous feeling to fall over the group as they waited with bated breath. Everyone's eyes on Eleven as she floated before them, the only sign of her searching being the slight noises coming through the radio.
"Eleven?" Ronnie shifted forward slightly, bending her head down towards the girl in front of her as she whispered. "Are you able to find them?"
"N-No." Eleven spoke, her voice sounding nearly robotic.
Ronnie looked over towards Joyce and could see the worry written all over her face, making her seem older and in the darkly lit room. Ronnie let go of Joyce's hand before standing from her position in the pool, before slowly moving to step inside.
"What are you doing?" Hopper spoke quickly, saying out loud what everyone else was thinking.
"I'm going to help." Ronnie sighed and slowly sank into the water to kneel behind Eleven, grasping her wrists tightly. "Maybe with the both of us we can find Will? She hasn't been in the upside-down as often as I have."
Hopper watched with pensive eyes as Ronnie held onto Eleven, both her hands grasping tightly to the other girls' wrists. He knew deep down that Ronnie was too weak to do anything at the moment, but at the same time, he knew they needed to find Will. It wasn't long after Ronnie joined Eleven that the lightly within the gym brightened for a moment, before flickering nearly back to darkness. A high pitched noise ringing and echoing in the room. Dustin and Mike flinched to cover their ears from the noise, as everyone else looked around in shock and amazement. Jonathan looked towards Ronnie and could sense the difference almost immediately. Her body was stiff and eyes closed, she almost looked to be sleeping while kneeling upward within the water. Eleven beneath her and gently floating in the water. They both looked angelic, he thought to himself. But at the same time, a sense of fear twisted tightly within his gut.
Eleven's breath began to pick up slightly after a few tense passing moments, little did they all know, the girl felt like she was in a dark void. Wandering around for any sign from the Upside Down. It was always scary for her to visit this dark void. It held very little light and a dark and dank feeling weighed heavily in the air. It was like a hand gripping tightly at your throat and not giving up, cutting off your air slowly. As Eleven walked along the nothingness, in the distance, she could see a figure. It was a large mass of what looked to be slime, tentacles, and other stuff. Any time she saw a peek of the Upside Down everything looked like it was melting into its death and turning to a dark slime.
Ronnie was deep within the Upside Down with Eleven, it was more like she was assisting with giving an extra push to the younger girl. Her mind still with herself in the gym. But she could feel Eleven tense up, and deep down, knew that she had found something.
"What is it Eleven?" Ronnie whispered softly
"Barb?" Her answer came out like a shiver between her lips, the effect of the cold water taking over her body. But Eleven couldn't feel the coldness.
Nancy nearly jumped forward at the sound of her friends' name, Jonathan had to reach down and grip her forearm to keep her in place. "Barb? What about Barb? Is she ok?"
Once again Nancy's eagerness made Ronnie flinch back, it was almost like she gave off shocks of electricity that knocked her off focus. Eleven tensed more, her grip on Ronnie's wrists tighter as she began to panic. Deep within her mind, she saw the dead and decomposing body of Barbara.
"Gone. Gone. Gone!" Eleven began to thrash slightly in Ronnie's hold, but Ronnie held tightly know that if she lost her grip the connect could be gone as well.
Joyce reached forward and gently caressed the top of Eleven's head as she began to panic.
"Shh, shh," Joyce spoke. "It's ok. We're here. You're ok. You're safe."
The calming voice echoed in Eleven's head, a sense of safety washing over her, and quickly the fear began to dissipate. Her breathing leveled out and the horrifying discovery before her fading away like smoke. Instead in front of her was a small fort of some sort. Built of scarp wood, bed sheets, and crates. Eleven looked at in confusion before reading the words across the front.
"Castle Byers?" Eleven asked, the questions coming aloud to everyone.
Jonathan and Joyce quickly looked towards each other at the name of the fort that Will and Jonathan had built a few years ago. Tears quickly welled up in Joyce's eyes as the thought of finding her boy quickly raced through her mind.
"Will," Eleven whispered next.
"Tell him we're here! Tell him we're looking for him!" Joyce spoke quickly, her hands moving up to cup over her mouth. "Oh my god, my boy."
Hopper reached across and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.
"Hurry," Will's voice came through weak on the walkie system.
Ronnie's eyes shot open, a large gasp leaving her lips, before her grasp on Eleven's wrist let up. Jonathan jumped back slightly as he looked towards Ronnie, her eyes now only showing the whites of them as she looked across. He jumped back slightly before his concentration was directed towards Eleven as she moved quickly up and ripped the goggles from her face. Ronnie's eyes closed before she slowly fell into the water beneath her. Her body losing the last bit of its strength. Joyce moved quickly to pull Eleven from the water and wrap her in a towel. Hopper did the same, placing the girl gently in his lap and caressing her cheek.
"Seven...Seven...Come on," He whispered frantically as he tried to shake her awake, her body heavy and limp in his arms. He looked away from her towards Jonathan "Get me a blanket."
Hopper didn't feel the weight slowly lift from his arms, he didn't have enough time to. The moment looked back down she was gone. The only evidence that she was there was the wet outline of her body on his clothes. Hopped looked around frantically, looking for any sign of the girl, but saw nothing.
"Where did she go?" Hopper spoke, "Where did she go!?"
"Fuck," Jonathan cursed and ran his hand through his hair. "I-I've seen her do that once before, it's like she teleported somewhere."
Everyone looked around towards each other in amazement, but also horror and worry. Because the ebony-haired girl was nowhere in sight.
-x-x-x-
The moment the fiery feeling began to slowly fade from her body, Ronnie already knew she was no longer back at the school. Her body rested against slick and damp flooring and her eyes connected with a dark and starless sky. The floating partials around her instantly letting her know where she had unwillingly teleported to. The coldness wrapped around her body like a vice as she slowly sat up from the Upside Down Hawkins woods. The decomposing forest floor sticking to her back and hair as she slowly stood and looked around. She had been to the Upside Down enough to know that she needed to find shelter and quickly. The monster that lurked in the shadows of this world always hunting and always looking for its next meal. Ronnie didn't understand why she was brought here, her powers completely taking over the controls. She felt it nearly the moment that Eleven found Will. It was an electrical pull that ripped through her body and gripped tightly at her heart. She's only felt this once before when she traveled to the Upside Down. Papa had sent her to look for one of the techs that got lost within the world. That was also the first time she came face to face with the monster.
She walked quickly through the dark and damp woods, the air making her lungs cry out in pain. The air within the Upside Down made it feel like you were breathing in fire from the burning that grew within your chest with each breath. Slowly poisoning you. She stumbled with each step as she tried to find anything that she could use to hide, but was coming up short with each passing moment.
"Fuck," Ronnie cursed as she stopped to grasp to a tree to try and catch her breath, though that was nearly impossible.
Ronnie closed her eyes and gripped her knees tightly as she tried to slow down and control her breathing. But the partials clogging her lungs and making it harder to breathe. Ronnie didn't know how long she stood there, but she was snapped back to reality when she heard the loud screeching call of the monster. It was far and seemed to be coming in the opposite direction, but that still didn't ease her mind. She pushed off quickly from the tree and began to move in the direction she was going in before. The deeper and deeper into the woods she went, the farther the screeches and calls became. But there was a moment in between that made it seem like it was getting closer.
After running for a while, Ronnie looked around to figure out where she was and almost instantly it was all familiar. She was near Byers's home. The dark and decrepit version of the couldn't hide the home, buildings, and other markers that have become familiar to her. She ran around the side of the Byers home and past the backyard. She heard what Eleven said back at the school about Castle Byers and what Jonathan said that it was. If there was a chance that Will was alive, and nearby, then she had to make sure that thing didn't find him. Ronnie coughed on the toxic air as she moved quickly till finally, the fort came into view. She couldn't help the elation that went through her small frame as it came into view.
"Will," She whispered before continuing towards it.
Another loud screech kicked Ronnie back into action as she went towards the small fort, when she looked over her shoulder she couldn't see it. But she feels it, all the hair on her body standing straight up. When Ronnie pulled the curtain to the side she stared down at the boy in front of her. Huddled tightly into the fetal position, his skin holding an almost blue hue and his lips turning gray.
"Will," Ronnie knelt in front of him and pushed back the long hair from his face, his brown eyes looking up towards her in a slightly unfocused gaze. "Will. I-It's ok...I've got you."
"W-Who are you?" He spoke, his lips quivering with each word as he shivered.
"I...um...I know your mom." Ronnie spoke. "Come on we...we gotta go. It's coming."
Before Will or Ronnie could move or speak the sound of the clicking and growling could be heard from right outside the fort. Ronnie felt her body freeze up almost instantly, before moving to place a hand over Will's mouth. His brown eyes looked up towards her wide with fear as the sound of the footsteps pacing outside the fort filled the silence. They both waited with bated breath for it to either continue or make its move. The sound of a high impact on the opposite wall of the fort cause Ronnie to grip Will tightly and pull him towards her, thankful that she did since the Demogorgon's hand gripped tightly to where he laid and ripped it back through the hole in the wall.
"Will! Come on!" Ronnie gripped his hand tightly and moved to pull him up from the floor as once again the Demogorgon began to attack through the walls.
Ronnie held tightly to his hand before pushing past the curtain of the fort and back into the wood surrounding them. Will pushed through with as much strength as he could as he ran behind Ronnie, looking behind him every once and a while to see if it was chasing after him.
"Come on Will, don't let go!" Ronnie screamed as she looked back to make sure he was still following her. She was thankful that even in his weak state he was running just as hard as she was. They ran up from the back of the Byers' house and quickly ran in through the backdoor, pulling Will in through the door before Ronnie turned and closed it tightly.
"Is it coming in here?" Will spoke, his voice gravely as he slowly sank to the kitchen floor.
"N-No...I-I don't think so," Ronnie spoke and pressed tightly to the door before taking a step back, looking around the haunting home for something to block the door with.
Ronnie looked down towards Will to see him resting with his eyes closed on the kitchen floor. She smiled slightly to herself, happy to know she was able to keep him safe, before looking around again. Ronnie spotted a cabinet within the kitchen and moved towards it more, using her powers to slowly slide it across the floor and towards the back door. Ronnie whimpered softly as she used the remainder of her strength to push it the few feet to the door. Ronnie stopped the moment it was in front of the door before dropping to her knees in weakness. She knew that she was pushing herself too far, but also knew that she couldn't stop. Ronnie ignored the ringing in her ear, before moving towards Will, wrapping an arm around him and holding him tightly to her side.
"Your mom is gonna find us, Will. I know she is. You just gotta hold on." Ronnie whispered as she helps him.
"S-she is?" Will shook slightly as he rested against Ronnie.
"She is. And the chief, w-we've all been looking for you."
"What's your name?" Will moved back and looked up towards her. "How do you know my mom?"
"I'm Seven, and your mom helped me."
The two of them sat there for a while, the fear of the monster-hunting them slowly dissipating, and instead, they were surrounded in silence. Time seemed to pass by slowly and Ronnie could feel her body growing weaker and weaker. Soon the silence was replaced with a voice, a familiar voice. Ronnie couldn't make out the word, but she knew who it was. Jonathan. Slowly her eyes fluttered opened expecting to see him standing in front of her, but instead, she saw nothing.
"Jonathan?" Ronnie spoke out loud, a moment of pause passing through them before again she heard the voice. A little clearer but not by much. "Jonathan?"
Jonathan watched in horror as he saw the Demogorgon struggling in the hallway with the bear trap clamping tightly at its ankle. Screams of pain coming from the monster as it fought hard. Steven pressed Nancy against the wall as they too watched in fear. The thing they have been hunting now in front of them. The thing that took their loved ones. Jonathan moved quickly to grab the zippo lighter from his pocket, taking one last glance at the thing in front of him, before throwing it to the floor. A trail of flames moved along the brown shag carpeting, before engulfing the Demogorgon. New cries of pain now echoed through the house as the monster was set aflame.
In the Upside Down Ronnie had moved away from Will, searching for the source of the sound of her friend's voice. Two others were mixing with Jonathan's that weren't as familiar, but she knew he was close.
"Jonathan?" Ronnie called out again as she turned towards the hallway, her hands pressing against the walls for support.
There was a pause of complete calm before Ronnie felt her lungs squeeze tightly and her heart felt like it was bursting from within her chest. Her dark eyes went wide as she felt a surging pain rip through her, an uncontrollable scream passing through her lips as she fell to the floor. It felt like her entire body was set ablaze, different from the sensation that would happen when she teleported. She rolled onto her back and felt her back arch as the feeling travel through her whole body. She could feel the intense heat caressing her skin. Tears streamed down Ronnie's cheek as she clawed at the ground beneath her.
Jonathan stood there and watched the monster struggle in the flames, but soon there was another sound mixing with the screams of the Demogorgon. It was human and they were in pain. Jonathan looked around expecting someone else to be in the room with them but saw nothing. Nancy moved to grab a fire extinguisher as the flames began to grow too high up the walls. Smoke surrounded them all, before slowly dissipating. When the smoke cleared Jonathan was expecting to see the burnt corpse of the thing in front of him. Instead, he was welcomed by the sight of crying and thrashing Ronnie.
"Seven?" He whispered in shock as she cried out and screamed in pain, her nails digging into the burnt carpet beneath her. Her long, wildly curly hair moving around her face as she thrashed her head from side to side.
Jonathan moved quickly to her side and caressed her face, pulling her from her agony and to try and concentrate on him. She continued to scream and cry, her grip moving from the carpet to Jonathan's arms. Her eyes flashed open and once again her eyes were completely overtaken by the whites of her eyes. A shot of fear gripped Jonathan slightly, but his concern for his friend overtook that fear.
"Seven! Seven!" He caressed her face "It's me, it's Jonathan!"
"It burns," she cried, her screams slowly turning to whimpers as he moved her into his arms, "It burns."
Jonathan looked down towards her with concern, "Burns?"
"She's not on fire," Nancy spoke from beside him, looking down at the scene before him in confusion. Steven stayed back against the wall and watched in shock and amazement.
"Where the fuck did she come from?" Steve asked, reaching up to grip his longer hair tightly. His mind racing quickly with everything happening around him.
"Steve, shut up," Nancy spoke before moving closer to Jonathan, Ronnie laying limp in his arms now ass he whimpered and cried, her eyes closed and concealing the concerning color.
"I-I...I don't get it. How is she here?" Jonathan shook his head and pushed back the hair from her face, her skin cold and clammy. Her lips holding a gray color and the bags under her eyes dark and prominent. It reminded him a lot of the time he first found her.
"You don't think...that she's the..." Nancy whispered, shooting glances between Jonathan and Ronnie.
"No. She's not that thing." Jonathan answered quickly before moving to pick her up and carry her from the hallway into his bedroom. "But there is a reason why she disappeared at the school and is somehow back here."
"She kept saying 'it burns', and we set that thing on fire. How do you explain that?" Nancy spoke quickly and harshly.
"Nancy, she's not a monster." Jonathan shot a look towards her from over his shoulder, before placing her down onto his bed. Steve moving with them from a distance, moving as if his body is in shock.
"I'm not saying that she is," Nancy whispered, shrinking back slightly in shame.
Jonathan shook his head and moved to stand back and gaze down towards her. As his eyes moved along her body, he couldn't see any visible burns. But Nancy was right, she was crying out 'it burns' and that concerned him. Steve moved further into Jonathan's bedroom, standing just over his shoulder to look down at the girl lying in the bed. It didn't take him long to recognize her from a few nights ago.
AN: I am so sorry for being gone for so long, life got in the way of writing and it has been a crazy month. My schooling finishes in the new three semesters if all goes well so it's been my main focus, but don't worry I haven't forgotten about Seven and Co. There are about three or four more chapters of season1 before we transition into season 2! please leave a review, I would really love your thoughts!